


Fateful Exploration

by StevetheIcecube



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Character Death, Dark Comedy, Fluff, Gen, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-07-17 19:47:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16102571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StevetheIcecube/pseuds/StevetheIcecube
Summary: Kasandra's driver is an explorer, and she picks their next spot: Chansagh Wastes.





	Fateful Exploration

**Author's Note:**

> Someone on discord requested this as a joke so I did it anyway

"You know where we should go?" Kasandra asked, stretching over the map her driver had laid on the table in front of them. "Over here!" Her finger fell on the area just north of the port they'd come in at, and her driver's eyes widened.

"Cannot go there, meh!" He said, flapping his wings as he jumped up and down on the table in protest. "The wastelands are very dangerous. Many, many dangerous monsters live there."

"All the better," she said, her eyes alight with curiousity. "It's dangerous, right? So people never go there. It could be stunning, unspoiled by human influence! There could be treasure there!"

"Absolutely not," her driver said firmly. "We are explorers, not thrill seekers. There is no sense in exploring somewhere when you're likely to never get home to tell the tale."

"But if it's dangerous, the tale is all the more exciting," she said. "How many people can say they've been down there? No one! The map isn't even properly charted yet. Going there would be amazing. You'd be remembered forever for this."

"Kasandra too persuasive for her own good..." Her driver said, putting a small pin in the area she'd pointed out. "But in terms of a route, we're looking at coming from the north, taking the route through Teddim..."

-

"Ah, what a lovely place!" Kasandra said, stretching out her legs in the bright sunlight of the Ardainian afternoon. The stars must have aligned for everything this afternoon to be so wonderful.

Her driver laid back on the sand next to her. "Truly a sight to behold," he said, looking over to the silhouette of Mor Ardain's head, seemingly a dull amber colour as the sun set behind it. Only adding to the scene was the green light of the World Tree in the distance, made blurry only by the smog surrounding the land of the titan.

"I wish everyone in Alrest could see sights like this," she said, moving slightly closer to her driver. She just wanted to share this time with him with the two of them properly together. Not held apart by formalities in public, the famous explorer soaking in the attention while his blade kept her distance. This was how it was meant to be.

"So do I," he said. "But without a blade like you, Kasandra, it just not safe for others to be out there. There are some dangerous monsters in these parts, Architect only knows why, and one blade can't protect all the people of Alrest."

"I'm sure my luck could protect everyone!" She said, shooting him a bright smile. He returned it easily. 

"You certainly have a way with attracting enemies away from others," he said. "I'm surprised we're not beset by them here!"

"Of course not," she said. They were having a relaxing time out here! She wouldn't let an enemy get close, she'd done all kinds of things this morning to enhance her luck just so this outing wouldn't be ruined.

It was then that she heard a dry rattling sound from behind her. She turned around quickly, expecting to see a stray monster to take down so she could return to basking in the evening sun. Instead, there was nothing. The ground behind her was just the same as the ground in front. The nearest monsters were a fair distance away, going about their own business. Everything was completely fine.

"That was strange, wasn't it?" She asked, turning back to her driver with a smile. "I could have sworn I heard something just then, but there's nothing there."

"I didn't hear a thing," her driver said, and this time he moved closer, settling right next to her so the warmth of his fur brushed against her arm. Architect, it was nice just being able to spend time with him like they used to. "But thank you for always looking out for me, Kasandra. I wouldn't be the same Nopon without you."

Kasandra almost blushed, overcome by the sincerity of his praise. Things weren't like this very often, and she was determined to enjoy it while it lasted.

Watching the sun playing over the rocks and the ripples of the Cloud Sea, she tuned out the sounds of the world around her and just relished in the feeling of spending quality time with the person she trusted most in the world. She didn't hear the second rattled of her mask, or the rumble in the sea under the cliff they were sat on.

Kasandra did see the Marin rise from the clouds, discharging electricity at every angle, but by the time she'd even managed to reach for her weapon, the monster was already too close. Terrified, her driver jumped into her arms just in time for the jaws of the fish to close. And Kasandra slept, as if it was the end of any other day, and waited for the day she would be awakened once more.


End file.
